Nim
by mickeylizard21
Summary: An AU where Thor went for the head first. Everyone lived. Steve Rogers is still Captain America. A few Hydra experiments have yet to be discovered. Who are they? Whose side are they on? My take on a kid fic.
1. On the streets

N1C4ZY4

0530 hours

8/31/2023

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Nim leaned back against the red brick wall and breathed in the cool morning air. The sun was rising over the cityscape, backlighting the shadowed forms of downtown skyscrapers. This was undoubtedly her favorite time of day. Too early for her to have screwed up. A chance for her to be the best person she could be. She squatted down and had a seat on the tenement rooftop ledge she was enjoying the sunrise from. Pulling out her first bean and cheese burrito from the crisp taco bell to-go bag, she unwrapped the paper casing and took a big bite. Ah, the breakfast of champions. Why was it so hard to find an early morning vegetarian breakfast in the city that never sleeps?

She brushed her sweaty blonde hair back behind her ear to avoid getting it in her meal and took another delicious bite. She had completed her morning patrol. Step one of the day done. With her increased strength and stamina the 20 mile run had been an enjoyable work out. She could now go take a nap.

What? She valued her rest almost as much as she valued her fake mexican food. This was her vacation. Summer was a time for rejuvenating crime fighting and naps. Before she returned to continue her schooling in the fall. It was necessary to calm her jumbled and angry thoughts. Ever since she had escaped Hydra's experiments for the second time at age eighteen she had been trying to make a life for herself, fitting patrol, school, and work into her hectic schedule. And of course she couldn't forget to call her family and make sure they knew she was still alive. Her 'brother' (read: fellow experiment), Seth, demanded a phone call at least every two to three days.

Luckily they mostly left her to her own devices. They knew she couldn't stand being in one place long, or the presence of other people. No, she was better off alone. Alone with the angry wasps in her head. She could take care of herself. She liked it best that way, not dealing with others' unpredictable actions. She could organize the voices into categories and keep them in line. With others around the voices became confusing and unpredictable.

Across the rooftops the golden sun illuminated the top of Avengers tower, the outline blurring with sunrise colors.

_Not a bad morning_, Nim thought to herself.

Apparently the universe heard her because a moment later a horrid ripping sound echoed across Manhattan and a huge chunk of the side of the tower ripped free and began a quick descent down toward the already busy streets below. Distant alarms blared as the source of the destruction came into view. What appeared to be a giant spider was emerging from the hole in the tower, it's legs stretching and it's hairy body still expanding as it stepped into the dawn light. Horrified screams filled the air as raining debris and giant pinchers greeted the morning commuters.

"Motherfucking Stark" Nim cursed under her breath and raised an eyebrow at the creature ruining her calm morning. It was probably a science experiment gone wrong. The avengers would handle it. Right? It was obviously not her problem.

She took another bite of her burrito, enjoying the cheesy goodness.

Iron Man appeared and began shooting repulsors at the creature from above, singing its numerous, shiny black eyes. The spider retreated a few steps, backing into surrounding buildings and letting out a god-awful screech sure to wake the dead. It's stumble caused the earth to shake. Unfortunately for Stark it recovered quickly and fixed it's beady eyes on the iron man suit before launching a stream of neon green liquid from it's jaws. Iron Man swerved to avoid the liquid and the gooey shower landed on a nearby office building. Which promptly caught fire.

Nim raised her other eyebrow in fascination of the spider's abilities. Then she shoved the rest of the burrito in her mouth and crumpled up the paper wrap.

"_Guess breakfast can wait_" she grumbled to herself as she stashed her other burrito in her pack and jogged to the stairs.

Nim reached the zone of destruction and surveyed the scene. Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Falcon, Scarlett Witch, and Vision were waging war against the beast, which must have been over fifty feet tall. Most civilians in the immediate area had fled and the few that remained were being evacuated by New York's finest. The spider's screeches filled the air along with the clangs of battle. Smoke poured from the surrounding buildings unfortunate enough to have come into contact with the spider's acid spray.

She would leave the active combat to the avengers for now, as they seemed to be wearing the beast down. Nim hurried to the nearest building and started helping first responders with with the injured. While she wasn't a highly trusted presence in New York, she was widely accepted. Police and firemen didn't bother with her as she tended the most grievously wounded using her personal first aid kit. She lifted heavy wreckage off limbs and covered large burns and gashes in gauze, all the while keeping an eye on the fight happening a few hundred yards away. She glanced up in time to see one of the spider's long legs swing wide and hit Captain America square in the chest. He brought up his shield in time to take most of the force but that didn't save him from being launched into the air and sending him crashing through the brick walls of a nearby bank. Ouch. Nim winced in sympathy. That would sting, even for an enhanced supersoldier. The other Avengers were still fighting the creature, backing it away from the line of first responders and victims gawking, eyes wide.

Nim clenched her jaw and steadied herself. She had managed to stay under the radar the past few years. Lying low and keeping out of the public eye in a bid to not attract attention from Stark and his motley crew, lest they discover her mixed past. But Rogers wasn't hopping out of the crumbled bank entrance like the invincible annoyance he usually was. And none of his teammates were able to spare a moment to check on their comrade's status.

"Fuck it" Nim growled and snuck toward the battle scene, dodging swinging spindly legs and approaching the bank. The remaining avengers paid her no mind, intent on bringing the beast down and containing damages. Hearing nothing but the creak of unsteady concrete and the rush of burst pipes outside the smashed doors, Nim picked her way into the structure of the crumpled building and scanned the wreckage for signs of life. The large chunks of stone were unsteady and shifting. Glass and live electrical wiring made the scene an unforgiving minefield. Just before the young woman began to panic her eye caught a glint of blue peeking out from under an overturned tellers' booth. She quickly adjusted her gloved hands beneath the heavy wood and shifted it off the Captain's prone form.

It was immediately obvious why he hadn't returned to the fight. There, low on his right flank, two rebarb pipes stuck out from his suit. The unforgiving metal was impaling his abdomen and pinning him in place. Dark blood pooled beneath his shaking form. His breathing was unsteady, his hands twitching as if trying to halt the flow of blood. His face was pale and damp but his round, terrified eyes were focused on Nim's masked face.

Shit. Seth would kill her if she let his sperm donor die.

She dropped to her knees beside the injured man and moved to staunch the flow of blood. Rogers jerked back and raised his hands in defense. His eyes were glassy and unfocused. Double shit. He was in shock. His frantic scrambling further aggravated the holes in his abdomen. Damn it Rogers, now was not the time to have a PTSD induced flashback. Nim abruptly stopped her advance and raised her hands in placation.

"Hey" she murmured in what she believed passed for a soothing tone, "It's ok. I'm a good guy, I need to stop the bleeding." Her words seemed to cause him more distress. His eyes strayed to her black domino mask. The only thing allowing her to keep her identity and therefore live anonymously among civilians. Rogers, in his injured state, was seeing a masked figure (affiliations unconfirmed) approach him while he was pinned down. Nim bit her lip and made a decision. Roger's safety was the priority. Slowly, she removed her mask, revealing lightly freckled delicate features. Her blue eyes tracked his reaction. The bleeding man immediately relaxed, pain-filled eyes fixed on the young woman's face. Nim didn't know what she had been expecting but this wasn't it.

Nim didn't have time to process whatever the hell just happened. She set to work wrapping gauze around where the metal stuck out from flesh and pushed hard to exert pressure. A few blocks down the sounds of battle had faded. Keeping one hand on the gauze, Nim reached for the comms unit in the Captain's ear and placed it in her own. Frantic shouting vibrated her eardrum.

"Cap, report! Target neutralized. Where the hell did you run off to?" It was the Falcon, Wilson, speaking.

"He's skipping out on cleanup duty is what he's doing. Hey, if I can't get out of it neither can Mr. Righteous" Stark whined.

"Anyone see him?" Wilson again.

"I told you he's not that perfect, the guy's probably-"

"Agent down. West Bank building. I need a med-evac team here now. Victim impaled through the torso. Excessive blood loss. Experiencing symptoms of shock" Nim cut in. There was silence on the comms. "You want your friend to live or not?" Nim snarled when it dragged on too long.

"Calling med-evac now, West Bank building confirmed. ETA two minutes" That was the Widow's steady voice. "Who is this?" Nim met Roger's dazed expression. His eyes began to slide closed and she wasted no time in slapping him back to his senses.

"Stay awake Sleeping Beauty" she commanded, then redirected her attention to Rogers' team as she pressed her mask back to her face. "Friendly," was all she said as she tied off the bandages to keep pressure on the wound while the Avengers got their shit together. Rogers grunted, his eyes clearing just in time for him to see Nim slip out of the rubble and fade into the crowd of bystanders.


	2. On the beach

0600

10/6/23

Malibu, California

The wind blew cold that morning. Nim breathed in the icy air and felt it cool the fire in her mind. She held warrior one pose on her dirty yoga mat and gazed over her right fingertip, out over the city. The darkness in her mind couldn't reach her here. The voices quieted with the morning fog hanging low over the horizon. She took a breath and moved to plank position before sliding forward into cobra. _Breathe in, breathe out. _

Calm and present, she used the space in her mind to detail the morning news.

One more hydra base totalled. Three prisoners liberated. Twenty-six hydra liberated of their Earthly ties. Files detailing military procedures procured. Camera footage unable to be procured. Avengers none the wiser.

This was the third base Nim had hit this year. But it didn't have what she wanted either. Crossbones was still in the wind. Last sighted at the beginning of the year at a science fair in D.C., his trail had long since turned cold. She wasn't the only one looking for him either. Wherever he went a trail of destruction seemed to follow. His face was all over the news, posted on websites streaming across national borders. Rogers and his team were all over the situation, tracking the masked man across the globe. Nim had to find him first.

The blonde sat cross-legged on her mat and adjusted her leggings. The fog clung to her sweat-dampened neck and arms and she pulled on her hoodie and beanie before rolling up the mat and slinging it over her shoulder. The rusted metal of the fire escape creaked and rung beneath her tennies as she descended to ground level. It was a Monday and the streets of downtown were almost empty. Joggers shuffled along the beach path. Seagulls called and the breeze smelled of their crap and the beached seaweed yards down the sand. Nim made her way to her coffee retreat _Screamin' Beans_, shuffling through the door and meeting Nice Karen at the counter.

"Nice Karen" Nim greeted. Karen gave her a look.

"Weird Girl" she responded in her Jersey accent while writing just that on a cup in sharpie.

"Make it a double, low fat sugar bomb today, Nice Karen, I'm watching my weight."

Nice Karen dutifully copied it down and slid to the machines to complete her order.

"How's Peetie?" Nim inquired about the shop owner's fat corgi. Karen smiled.

"Better than you, Girlie, he looks like he's enjoying life." Nim rolled her eyes and grabbed a muffin from the counter in retaliation. Karen just smirked and handed Nim her drink. Nim made herself at home on top of the counter to the right of the display case and they chatted as the shopkeep served the usual early weekend morning customers. The TV in the corner was muted but playing the news and as Nim watched it showed a bird's eye view of the destroyed Hydra base, thought to be a storage facility on the Big Island in Hawaii, still smoking. Inquiries as to the cause of the explosion trotted across the bottom of the screen. The scene periodically shifted to a concerned woman with impressively fluffed hair and appropriately wide eyes describing the carnage.

The bell over the door rang and two men wandered in. At first glance they seemed just as listless as the rest of the customers. But Nim always took a second glance. The shorter of the two had a cap pulled low and reflective sunglasses perched high on his nose. He wore ambiguous athletic-wear, the kind people who didn't work out wore, but under the thin layers he was obviously fit. The taller had his long brunette hair tied in a low bun. Five o'clock shadow graced his masculine features despite the early hour. He was dressed in a casually sleep-rumpled way, but black leather gloves hid his hands. His eyes were undoubtedly his best feature. A wary icy blue. Not that Nim noticed.

"Coffee, large, black" the first man grunted and laid a twenty on the counter. "And whatever disgusting creation my friend wants." The taller man let a small smile through as he rolled his eyes and hip-checked his friend enough for the shorter man to stumble.

"Large iced caramel macchiato for me, extra espresso" he told Karen, who fluttered her eyelashes and giggled in a feminine way as she hurried to fill their order. Nim gave her a disparaging look. She wiggled her brows in response. Obviously the blonde knew the man was gorgeous. But she didn't do well with relationships. Or men. Or anyone actually. She wasn't good with the feelings and she had recently learned men often stayed away from her, as if their basic human instincts were warning them off. She wasn't exactly human, per say, but that didn't mean she hurt people. Often. Anyway it was best she didn't let herself get humiliated.

While Nim was lost in her thoughts the men had received their beverages and left. Karen sighed dreamily as she stared after Mr. Bun(s).

"I wouldn't mind if that boy cleaned my garage" she muttered.

Nim scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Karen, we can no longer be friends" she announced. The barista gawked at her friend, still perched on the counter.

"Don't tell me you couldn't see his junk through those pants!" she whisper-shrieked.

"He's wearing jeans!"

"Oh I know" Karen smirked seductively. "He's definitely packing some _heat _girl."

Nim said a brief prayer for her friend.

"Please stop"

"What?! Come on aren't you straight?" Karen slapped Nim's shoulder giddily.

"I didn't say he wasn't hot, Nice Karen, I'm simply concerned about your reaction to tall handsome strangers. You can end up in the back of a van if you aren't caref-"

"I'd like to see the back of _his_ van-"

"Oh my God no! No more weird innuendos. You have already reached your maximum of one for today" Nim desperately cried. Karen burst out laughing. The bell jingled over the door and another woman walked in. She was dressed in a barista uniform with a large, fluffed cheetah print fur jacket to keep out the cold and a Gucci chain purse artfully slung over one shoulder. Nim immediately grabbed her goodies and made a dash for the swinging door.

"Oh _hi_ Girlie, it's been _forever"_ the new girl trilled at Nim. Nim neatly sidestepped her and continued fleeing out to the relative safety of the street. The door slammed behind her, the bell signalling her abrupt departure.

Annoying Karen had arrived for her shift.

Nim stuffed her snack into her backpack and made her way along the beach, carrying her shoes in her hands. Her phone buzzed in her hip pocket for the tenth time that morning and she decided she should probably let her brother know she's alive. She pulled it out, answering it and connecting it to her bluetooth headphones before returning it to her pocket so she could sip her coffee while she talked.

"Go for Nim"

Silence on the line, then a deep voice said "That is the stupidest way to answer your phone." Nim grinned and took another sip of her drink.

"What do you want, Brother?" she decided to ask instead of further prodding him.

"Well the Netherlands base just happened to catch on fire today. But you wouldn't know anything about that would you"

"Of course not. What a shame."

"Nimmy!" Seth groaned in exasperation "That was a big one! I thought we'd agreed we'd team up for the big ones?" Nim shrugged though she knew he couldn't see it.

"It wasn't though. I met an old shoe maker in New York, whose uncle was Danish, that said his uncle's wife's grandson's best friend was a scientist at this top secret operational base in the Italian countryside. So I called in some favors and it was all a ruse and the Italian base was really in the Netherlands, and one tenth the size that we thought it was. It was only a waypoint for supplies! So I figured that I could take care of that one" Nim explained rationally. "I can't just sit around in New York, I got bored. Do you know how many pigeons are in the city. 'Cause I now do." She could hear papers shuffling over the connection.

In his calming baritone Seth explained "You are not doing nothing, Sister. You are surveilling the in-laws. We need to keep an eye on them around the clock to make sure we catch on to any leads they dig up."

"But they got squat. They're just lazing around the tower, fighting petty criminals. It's like a vacation for them. Don't worry I've got my contacts covering all the bases" Nim soothed. Just then her phone pinged with a text from a "Emo Wonder Twin".

_Building quiet this morning, strangely quiet_

Nim frowned and texted back while reassuring Seth the babies were in good hands.

_What the fuck does that mean?_

A second later she got another text.

_Cuckoos flew the nest, wings gone_

Nim's blood left her face.

"If you say so" her brother continued on, sounded tired. More papers whispered in the background and distantly a chair screeched back on floorboards. "Sorry, I've had a headache all night. I swear I have three more grey hairs."

Nim tried to pull what was left of her shit together as she stared at the text message and hollowly suggested he try some rehydrate B12 drink powder. "You don't drink enough electrolytes for your metabolism, you need to drink one of those every day. Helps with the excessive worry and mother henning. Also, I doubt you have any grey hair in your near future, super-boy. Anyway, I gotta go, love you bye" she rushed and hung up on him. She made a hard left and ran up the sand to the path, not bothering to put her shoes on. She tossed her coffee in the nearest kept going. The city was more awake now, mothers pushed slumbering infants in job strollers, middle aged parents trotted on, completing their morning exercises. Cars were filling the streets and annoying assholes were already honking at each other.


End file.
